Parma-style Beef and Italian Sausage Meatloaf
Change up dinner tonight with a cheesy parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf. It’s an incredibly delicious, hearty recipe guaranteed to knock your socks off.
For my Weber Q followers, you may have noticed this isn’t my first meatloaf rodeo.
For those that tried my smoked Weber Q meatloaf, you’ll know that a meatloaf should be tender.
There is nothing worse than a dry meatloaf, am I right?
Rest assured, this parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf isn’t that.
My kids loved it, which is a huge thumbs up in my household.
But the most important tick of approval I needed was from my biggest critic, my son!
He loves his meatloaf, and when he gives me the thumbs up, I know it’s good.
To make parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf, you’ll need!
You will need a few ingredients to maximise the flavours this recipe will deliver.
But hopefully, you have most of them in your pantry and trust me, it’s totally worth it.
- Minced beef: (80% beef/20% fat) The fat will render during the cooking process, making the meat flavourful and, most importantly, tender.
- Italian sausage: Depending on the size of the sausages, you should only need roughly 6 to make up 500g.
- Streaky bacon: Although not a crucial ingredient in this recipe, the bacon fat will render adding more flavour to the meatloaf. And who doesn’t love bacon?
- Can of Italian diced tomatoes: Although you can substitute for passata, I found the sweetness from the Italian tomatoes lifted the meatloaf to a new level.
- Brown onion
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Dried basil
- Eggs
- Breadcrumbs
- Mozerella and parmessan cheese
- Salt & black pepper
How to prepare beef and Italian sausage meatloaf? Step 1
What I love most about my Parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf is the simplicity of its preparation.
A loaf tin and aluminium foil is all you’ll need for this recipe. Oh, and of course, you’ll need a mixing bowl too.
To get started, remove the skin from the sausages by slicing them in a straight line from top to bottom, then carefully peel the skin off.
Place the skinless sausages into a large mixing together with the minced beef.
Chop the bacon into small pieces and add to the meat mixture. Then 3 cloves of minced garlic, oregano, basil and half (200g or half can) of Italian diced tomatoes.
Next, dice or grate 1/2 of a small brown onion, add to the meat mixture with 2 cracked eggs, then season with salt & black pepper.
For the final additions, grate 1 cup of mozzarella and parmesan cheese, but only add half of each to the meat mixture.
Then finish off with 1 cup of breadcrumbs.
Using your hands, mix the ingredients until well combined and fill any gaps to avoid cracks during baking.
How to prepare beef and Italian sausage meatloaf? Step 2
For the second preparation stage, you’ll need a 27 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin lined with aluminium foil or baking paper, then lightly grease it with cooking spray.
Power Tip: Placing aluminium foil in the loaf pan before adding the meat mixture will make removing the meatloaf from the tin easier. And you’ll avoid splitting your meatloaf.
Add the meat mixture to the loaf tin, press down firmly until tightly compacted, and finish it off by smoothing over any cracks.
Although not an essential step, I placed my meatloaf in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
Power Tip: I found that by freezing before baking, my meatloaf had time to settle in the tin, and I could slice the meatloaf cleanly without breaking.
Preparation is complete!
Time to bake your meatloaf!
It’s time to start baking your parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf.
To do that, begin by Preheating your oven to 190C (375F).
Once preheated, pop the meatloaf into the oven on the middle rack and set a timer for 1 hour.
Now you have to wait patiently, ok!
Disclaimer: The smell that filled my house had my kids repeatedly asking, “Dad, When is tea ready?”
After the longest hour ever, it’s time to remove your meatloaf from the oven.
Spread the other half of the Italian diced tomatoes over the top and spread evenly across the meatloaf.
Then, spread the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese. And if you are wondering, yes, you can use more cheese!
Pop your mouthwatering parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf back into the oven for a further 20 to 25 minutes.
Allow this time for the cheese to melt and turn a lovely golden brown.
Once the cheese has browned, remove the meatloaf and rest for 10 minutes before removing it from the tin.
This allows time for the meatloaf to cool down and relax. Making it easier to remove from the tin without splitting.
Slice it up, serve it hot with a plate of creamy mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
And most importantly, enjoy!
Can I repurpose leftover meatloaf?
Leftover parma-style beef and Italian sausage meatloaf can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days.
I found cold leftover meatloaf delicious on sandwiches, salad rolls, or wraps.
If you are not a fan of cold meatloaf, you can definitely reheat it in the oven.
Pop the leftovers onto a baking tray and reheat in the oven at 150C (300F) for 20 minutes.
The meatloaf needs to be reheated at a lower temperature to cook gradually; otherwise, it can dry out in the oven.
Check out some of our timeless, family favourites!
- Smoked Weber Q meatloaf with a sweet honey BBQ glaze
- Low and slow-pulled beef brisket tacos
- Slow-cooked beef casserole
- Grilled cheesy meatball sub with herbed passata sauce
- Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce With Blackberry Jam and Plum Sauce
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Parma-style Beef and Italian Sausage Meatloaf
Equipment
Ingredients
- 500g minced beef 80% beef 20% fat
- 500g Italian sausage skins removed
- 1 cup streaky bacon chopped
- ½ brown onion finely chopped or grated
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 2 eggs
- 1 400g tinned Italian diced tomatoes (see note 1)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated and divided
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated and divided
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Remove the skins from the Italian sausages by lightly slicing them on one side from top to bottom. Then simply peel the skin away from the meat.
- Combine beef, Italian sausage, bacon, egg, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl, then add half of the diced tomatoes to the meat mixture. (See Note 1)
- Next, add 1 tbsp of basil with 1 ½ tsp of oregano, minced garlic, chopped onion, ½ cup mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan cheese and finally season with salt and pepper. Mix until well combined.
- Line a 27 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin with aluminium foil or baking paper. Begin tightly packing the meat mixture into the loaf tin and smooth out any cracks. Then, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up. (See Note 2)
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes before removing the meatloaf from the freezer. Then place it straight into the oven on the middle rack and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the meatloaf from the oven and evenly spread the remaining can of diced tomatoes over the top, followed by grated parmesan and mozzarella cheese.
- Add the meatloaf back into the oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and golden brown.
- Once cooked, let the meatloaf rest inside the loaf tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a platter, slice, and serve with freshly chopped parsley.
